Here’s a look at how SBI, TATA Sky, Piramal’s CPD, Escor – Z and others leveraged tech-driven, interactive mobile ads to engage users creatively during COVID–19

COVID-19 has pushed brands to their limits and has seen them struggling to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of business during a pandemic. Marketers are constantly trying to solve the conundrum of how to navigate the uncertainty and stay ahead of curve. While the lockdown has been overly disconcerting for some, others have taken this as an opportunity to re-examine their marketing strategies.

The result – accelerated digital transformation. Digitization of brands has been underway for some time now, but the coronavirus has acted as a catalyst, accelerating the process. Marketers are now shifting their ad spends from traditional to digital, and within digital – to mobile advertising. With the pandemic induced lockdown, users are now turning to their smartphones, as a one-stop shop to stay connected, entertained and pay bills, among other things and this is slowly but surely becoming the new normal. As a result, brands are partnering with mobile advertising platforms to reach out to their target markets with meaningful and helpful digital experiences.

Here are the top 7 brands that engaged users with enriching ads on small screens.

1. State Bank of India - YONO App

State Bank of India advocated for social distancing amid the pandemic and empowered users to access mobile banking facilities at home with their app YONO – You Only Need One, an integrated digital banking platform.

With mobile banking becoming the new normal, the brand engaged users by encouraging them to enter the world of SBI by saying “Enter”. Using speech recognition technology, the ad then transitioned and showcased the features of the app and also encouraged users to download it.

2. TATA Sky App

Stepping up to the challenge of building interest in its newest mobile app creatively, TATA Sky engaged users with an innovative ad on small screens.

The brand prompted users to say goodbye to boredom and take a physical step towards unlimited entertainment. Integrating the accelerometer and gyroscope motion sensors into the ad, the campaign then revealed the app and its features, and also encouraged users to download it from the app store.

“Given the clutter of ads on Mobile screens, we at Tata Sky were looking for solutions to stand out. The motion sensor integrated ads from mCanvas put a unique spin to our product offering, triggering quality downloads for the Tata Sky app,” said Anurag Kumar, Chief Communications Officer, TATA Sky.

3. Piramal Consumer Products – Tri-Activ Mask

Encouraging users to fight the virus, Piramal Consumer Products promoted its mask with an innovative ad experience on mobile that captivated the user’s attention and established a strong brand connection.

Integrating the COVID–19 Containment Zone data, the ad creative showcased the number of containment zones within a 5-kilometre radius of their current location. Prompting users to stay home, the brand introduced its mask with 6 layers of protection to safeguard their health.

“We at Piramal Consumer Products believe in “doing well & doing good” where our aspirations are always backed by purpose. With design thinking being at the core & transparency deeply engraved, we are constantly thinking about means to reach outside the physical brand experiences. Integrating the COVID–19 Containment Zone data, we wanted to help by showcasing the containment zones within a 5-kilometre radius of the users current location helping them stay safe, and in case they had to step out, we introduced our Tri-Activ protective mask with 6 layers of protection to safeguard their health,” said Nitish Bajaj, CEO, Piramal Consumer Products.

4. Escor-Z

Escor-Z etched a mark for itself with a tech-enabled ad on small screens that aimed to create awareness about its Vitamin C and Zinc effervescent tablets.

The brand unveiled an ad that first prompted users to turn on their location, thereafter, displaying the number of containment zones within a 5-kilometer radius, using COVID–19 containment zone data. Encouraging users to safeguard their health, they were then instructed to say, “Boost My Immunity”. Using speech recognition technology, the ad then positioned the product as a smart choice to help boost their immunity against the virus.

“Given the current situation, it was important for us to explore innovative ways to spread awareness on the importance of Vitamin C and Zinc and etch our mark in the minds of the citizens of India. The mobile-led ad created by mCanvas served as the perfect platform to deliver an insightful and engaging ad to users, building strong brand recall,” said Sushant Raorane, Co-founder and Director, Adroit Biomed Ltd.

5. ICICI Lombard – #RestartRight

ICICI Lombard captivated users’ attention with a mobile-led campaign that took on a unique route to inform users about its Health Insurance Solutions.

Using advanced motion sensors, the ad prompted users to physically take a step to discover how to usher in the new normal with its #RestartRight campaign. Thereafter, the ad featured a vertical video and they were asked a series of questions about healthy practices. Users were prompted to answer by speaking into the phone’s microphone, which was enabled using speech recognition technology.

6. Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance

Highlighting the need to secure their family during the uncertain times of COVID–19, Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance engaged users with a data-driven ad on small screens.

The high-impact mobile campaign displayed the number of containment zones within a 5-kilometre radius, using COVID-19 containment zone data. Encouraging users to protect their family, the ad revealed the brand’s Corona Kavach Policy, along with its benefits.

7. Asian Paints – Viroprotek hand and surface sanitizer

Asian Paints, the premium paint and coating manufacturing company built on the need to stay safe during the trying times of COVID–19, with an ad that promoted its hand and surface sanitizing products uniquely.

Encouraging users to keep the surfaces around them virus-free, the interactive ad on small screens positioned Asian Paint’s cleaning products as the ultimate guardian of their home, along with the CTA ‘Buy Now’, that directed users to the brand’s landing page to make a purchase.

With COVID–19, it’s been interesting to observe how brands have transformed and adapted seamlessly to the changing advertising landscape to stay ahead of the competition. Mobile has yet again, proved to be a platform that can be leveraged to create meaningful and memorable experiences for users, and mobile advertising companiesare leaving no stone unturned to provide innovative solutions to brands. It is apparent that the pandemic, however unfortunate, has provoked unprecedented innovation, which will prove to be beneficial in a post-lockdown world.